CSP Sign Up Includes Lower Missouri-Crooked River Watershed

COLUMBIA, MO, March 26, 2008 – Farmers in the Lower Missouri-Crooked River watershed in west-central Missouri who have shown a commitment to natural resources conservation may be eligible to participate in the next Conservation Security Program (CSP) sign up beginning April 18.

The Lower Missouri-Crooked River watershed contains an estimated 4,359 farms with total acreage of about 1.1 million acres. It covers portions of Caldwell, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Chariton, Clinton, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Ray and Saline counties in Missouri, as well as portions of Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas.

The Lower Missouri-Crooked River watershed is one of 51 watersheds nationwide that Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced last week would be included in a CSP sign-up April 18 to May 16. The 51 watersheds include approximately 64,000 potentially eligible farms and ranches covering more than 23.7 million acres.

CSP is a voluntary conservation program that supports ongoing stewardship of private, agricultural working lands, and rewards producers who are meeting the highest standards of conservation and environmental management on their operations. It is administered through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

“CSP seeks out producers who are already applying conservation practices on their land,” says Roger Hansen, NRCS state conservationist. “It rewards landowners for their good past efforts, and provides incentives to move to the next level of natural resources conservation. The more conservation that participants apply to their land, the bigger the payments they receive.”

Payments can include three components:

1. an annual stewardship component for the base level of conservation treatment;
2. an annual component for maintenance of existing conservation practices; and
3. an enhancement component for exceptional conservation efforts. Enhancement activities could include limited pesticide applications, renewable energy generation, and widening existing riparian forest buffers for restoring critical stream habitat.

To apply for CSP, NRCS asks potential participants to complete CSP self-assessment workbooks to find out if their operations meet the requirements of the program and qualify for program participation. The workbook is available here or from local NRCS offices.

The self-assessment process includes a self-screening questionnaire for each land use to be enrolled. When this process is completed, the producer submits the CSP workbook to the local NRCS office during the sign-up period, and meets with NRCS personnel to go over any additional needed documentation. NRCS will then determine if eligibility requirements are met, and will provide enrollment options for the producer.

NRCS held the first CSP sign up in 2004. This sign up brings the number of watersheds enrolled to 331 across the nation, covering 247.7 million acres. With the addition of the Lower Missouri-Crooked River watershed, CSP has been offered in nine watersheds in Missouri, covering 6.9 million acres. CSP is offered on a rotational basis in as many watersheds as funding allows.

For additional information about CSP, including the self-assessment workbook and other forms, please click here.

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